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There are an infinite number of beaches, so this year, to determine the
best sandy spots, Travel + Leisure launched its first annual Best
Beaches Survey—and asked savvy travelers to reveal their favorites.

The
list started with 54 famous beaches, grouped by type, which voters then
ranked. One point came across loud and clear: you don’t have to travel
far to experience a spectacular beach. In fact, U.S. beaches won in most
categories, from seclusion to people-watching.

In the
Caribbean, meanwhile, all-inclusive hotels and endless
activities—snorkeling, bodyboarding, sea kayaking—are some of the
reasons that families love Seven Mile Beach, in the Cayman Islands.
Read on to find the best beach for your next trip.

Best
for Activities: Thanks to a clutch of mega-hotels along Wailea’s small
beach coves, there are plenty of expert guides on hand at this
top-ranked beach for activities. They’ll lead the kids on snorkeling,
canoeing, and boogie-boarding excursions.

Best
for Families: Pastel wood-paneled houses border dunes on this
picture-perfect Gulf Coast beach, ranked No. 1 for families. After games
of waterfront Frisbee, the entire crew can take cruiser bikes into town
for a casual seafood dinner.

Best
for Seclusion: There are no permanent residents on One Foot Island, top
ranked for seclusion, where travelers can walk through shallow blue
waters to long sandbars. Drumbeats at sundown signal the last boat back
to neighboring Aitutaki island.

Best
for Families: This island’s fine sand and tranquil blue waters would
impress any traveler, though parents are especially taken with the
all-inclusive hotel options, and kids love the laid-back activities,
from snorkeling to shell-hunting, at this second-ranked beach for
families.

Best
for Seclusion: A top entry in the secluded category is Voutoumi beach
on Anti Paxos, the smallest of the Ionian Islands. To get to the remote
crescent of white sand surrounded by steep cliffs, take a short boat
ride from Paxos Island.

Best
for Activities: Curaçao has seen an influx of visitors thanks to its
appearance on NBC’s Bachelorette. But Playa Kalki, a top pick for
activities, has long been prized by expert divers for its reefs and
limestone coves, home to eagle rays and damselfish.

Best
for Dramatic Landscapes: With a ring of white sand surrounded by
mangroves and limestone walls blanketed by dense foliage, it's easy to
see why this beach on the Andaman Sea nabbed the No. 3 landscape
ranking—and why director Danny Boyle chose it for cult-favorite The
Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

Best
for Wildlife Viewing: Rated No. 3 in this category, Virginia’s barrier
islands Assateague and Chincoteague are indeed famous for their wild
horses and also draw crowds for bird-watching (herons and egrets are
common).

Best
for People-Watching: One of Europe’s most glamorous shorelines
naturally ranked highly in this category. The half moon–shaped beach
attracts the champagne-and-high-heels crowd that’s willing to shell out
$40 for lounge chairs and umbrellas.

Let Panama City Beach soothe your winter
woes with its white-sand beaches, emerald water, and an annual average
of 320 days of sunshine. Throughout January, Osprey on the Gulf and
Driftwood Lodge (both highly rated by TripAdvisor users) have a special
rate of $50 per night. Through April, one-bedroom condo units at
participating Sterling Resorts start at $36 per night, with added perks
like yoga classes on the beach and fishing excursions.

Interest in snowboarding seems be cooling, while skiing is gaining in popularity. (Photo: Stockbyte)

Is snowboarding no longer cool? A recent article from The New York Times explains that the sport is "sputtering in the United States."

The
numbers in the article paint a stark picture for the extreme sport.
This isn't just anecdotal evidence. According to Nate Fristoe, who
monitors winter-sport trends,
the number of days that snowboarders go to resorts has fallen from 7.6
days a year 15 years ago to around 6.1 days per year today. Skiing, on
the other hand (or foot?), has remained at around 5.5 days per year for
the past few years.

There isn't one reason behind snowboarding's
apparent face plant. The Times writes that a large factor is the age of
the participants. When the sport became all the rage in the '90s, the
paper writes, many original snowboarders were in their mid-teens. An
early 2000s article from ABC News reported that snowboarding was the
country's fastest growing sport three out of five years, from 1996 to
2000, thanks in large to young snowboarders.

Not anymore. Now,
nearly 20 years later, those guys and gals are older with more
responsibilities like jobs and families and less time to spend on the
slopes.

Also a problem, according to the Times: Fewer people are
learning to snowboard. "In the 2003-4 season more than 42 percent of all
beginners on the slopes ages 14 and younger started out on a snowboard.
The percentage has steadily fallen since then, last season dropping to
about 34 percent, according to the ski areas association."

Fristoe puts it like so:

Snowboarding
lost some of its mojo around 2005, 2006, and we've been running on
fumes since then. …It's like any kind of trend: It's full of all sorts
of energy ... until it isn't.

A 2004 article from CNN
echoes Fristoe's sentiments. Back then, snowboarding was on an epic
upswing. Participation in the sport surged 300 percent from 1988 to
2004.

Yahoo!'s search data doesn't go to the early days of
snowboarding (we're not that old), however, we can look at snowboarding
search trends from the past several years. Whether coincidence or not,
the searches on "snowboarding" have tumbled steadily since 2010.
Meanwhile, Yahoo! searches for "skiing" have remained relatively
constant over the past several winters.

According to a piece from the Los Angeles Times,
skiing and snowboarding have switched places. While snowboarding is
fading, skiing is gaining ground. "Sales of snowboards and snowboard
equipment have slipped 21% over the last four years, while sales of skis
have climbed 3% in the same period, according to SnowSports Industries
America." Part of that is due to new ski designs that make skiing easier
to pick up and enjoy.

Of course, snowboarding is more than just a
fad. It's in no danger of going the way of the pet rock or leg warmer.
But the numbers are serious enough for industry experts to take notice
and fight back. The Times explains that some resorts are installing
benches at the top of chairlifts so snowboarders won't have to roll
around in the snow while they fasten their boots. And Burton, the
world's largest snowboard manufacturer, has developed new boards
especially for young kids.
You can take your snowboarding pictures with digital camera. Don't forget snowboarding activity, like other outdoor activities is very dangerous, make sure your DSLR camera protected by best camera bag. You can buy it at www.taskamera.asia, online camera bag shop with cheap prices.

Zooming around with jet packs and living in
rocket-shaped buildings seemed our destiny during the space-age-obsessed
1950s and '60s. With civilian space travel now nearly a reality, how do
today's starry-eyed architects see the future?

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Well,
it turns out a survey of morphing city skylines reveals abstract
structures inspired by nature or cultural symbols and engineered to
reach higher, glow brighter, curve, and swoop.

These futuristic
buildings are not only visually arresting, they offer novel solutions to
the challenges that lie ahead, such as harvesting water from clouds and
creating high-rise rooftop forests. They also give us a glimpse of what
our future holds—for the moment, at least. If only someone could get to
work on those jet packs.

Renzo
Piano designed this arts and culture center, which debuted in 2012
along a disused harbor southwest of Oslo’s city center. Bridges link
three buildings—a museum, office space, and culture center—across canals
formed from reclaimed land, and a sculpture park gently slopes toward
the sea.

The entire project is developed along a new promenade
that starts at Aker Brygge and ends on the sea at a floating dock,
providing unbroken visual contact with the water. It looks, from above,
like a docked spaceship, with a curved roof that dips down to meet the
parklands.

Milan's
Garibaldi-Repubblica district got an infusion of 21st-century cool when
this ecofriendly curvilinear office tower was completed in 2011.
Designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, the 525-foot-high building
connects light-filled office space with outdoor areas.

The
largest of the public spaces, Piazza Città di Lombardia, is covered by a
roof composed of transparent “pillows” made from ETFE film (a fluorine
based plastic), while other high tech/environmentally sensitive features
include green roofs, active climate walls—two layers of separated glass
containing rotating vertical blades to provide shade while maximizing
transparency—and a geothermal heating system.

Opened
in December 2012, this 180,000-square-foot facility, designed by
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, is itself a feat of
scientific ingenuity. His firm Morphosis Architects set a goal of
creating an attractive urban environment that also adheres to green
principles.

Hence features like a 54-foot, continuous-flow
escalator contained in a glass-enclosed, tube-like structure that
extends outside the building—along with landscaping (courtesy of Talley
Associates) that includes a roofscape planted with drought-tolerant
species, an interactive water feature, and a “Leap Frog Forest” of
glowing amphibians.

Given China’s
reputation for bold and speedy construction, it’s no surprise that 2012
marked the arrival of this cool new building in the capital city of
Beijing. Designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid—the first woman
to be awarded the Pritzker Prize—this 18-story office, retail, and
entertainment complex consists of four domed structures connected by
bridges and platforms, crafted from aluminum, stone, glass and stainless
steel. Inspired by nature, the flowing lines and organic forms create a
lusciously harmonious effect.

This
dynamic, low-rise glass building—touted as one of the world’s greenest
at its 2012 unveiling—hosts the largest exhibition on urban
sustainability. Set in the Royal Victoria Docks, the heart of London's
new Green Enterprise District, the building is inspired by crystalline
forms, a reference both to “a multi-faceted urban world” and the Crystal
Palace built for London's Great Exhibition in 1851, which showcased the
latest technology from the Industrial Revolution. The Crystal’s
present-day innovations include rainwater harvesting, black water
treatment, solar heating, and charging stations for electric cars.

The
world’s tallest building opened in early 2010 and remains one of the
most talked-about structures. Why? Not only is the Burj Khalifa the
world’s tallest building (2,716.5 feet), it’s also the tallest
free-standing structure, with the highest number of stories, the highest
occupied floor, the highest outdoor observation deck, and an elevator
with the longest travel distance in the world.

Then there’s the
show-stopping architecture: a tower comprising three elements arranged
around a central core, inspired by the spider lily and courtesy of
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with consulting designer Adrian Smith. A
Y-shaped floor plan shows off views of the Persian Gulf, and when seen
from above, the building echoes the onion dome motif prevalent in
Islamic architecture.

The
copper-toned metal exterior and undulating shape of the Ordos Museum
reflect the surrounding Gobi Desert of Inner Mongolia. It’s the
brainchild of the Beijing-based architectural firm MAD, known for fluid
designs and imaginative urban solutions. The company intended the
large-scale museum as “the irregular nucleus” for Ordos, a newly
developed town that, as of 2011, already has its first architectural
icon.

Bjarke
Ingels, head architect at the Danish firm BIG, has taken on his first
North American project: W57 Pyramid, a 600-unit residential building
between 10th and 11th avenues. Changing according to the vantage point,
it appears as a kind of squashed pyramid from the West Side Highway
side, and as a slender spire from West 58th Street. The high-rise is
designed around an outdoor green space, and each apartment has natural
daylight. Or as Ingels puts it: “The building is conceived as a
crossbreed between the Copenhagen
courtyard and the New York skyscraper—the communal intimacy of the
central urban oasis meets the efficiency, density, and panoramic views
of the tall tower in a new hybrid typology.”

Qataris
have high hopes for their tiny nation-state’s future as a cultural
destination, with the National Museum of Qatar as its crown jewel. The
original museum opened in 1975 in a restored palace built by Sheikh
Abdullah bin Jassim Al-Thani; French architect Jean Nouvel is giving it a
makeover inspired by the surrounding desert rose (crystallized sand
that forms just below the desert surface). The series of buildings will
consist of intersecting discs resembling petals, all clad with glass
fiber-reinforced concrete panels, an effect both starkly geometric and
lyrical.

For
sheer audacity, nothing beats these plans for a monument to the Lavaux
wine-making region. Swiss firm Mauro Turin Architectes envisions
cantilevering the museum from the side of a mountain overlooking the
historic vineyards (some of which date back to the 11th century)—a feat
of engineering those ancient vintners would surely never have imagined.
Visitors will walk along a glass and steel walkway jutting from a rock
in the mountainside, with glass sides creating unbroken views over the
vineyards and out to Lake Geneva.

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When
it comes to choosing the perfect place to pop The Question, aspiring
grooms and ambitious brides certainly have their work cut out for them.
Take a romantic stroll on the beach at sunset or fly high in a hot air
balloon over the African savanna at sunrise? Canoodle at a trendy
restaurant or ditch your dinner reservation to steal away to an exotic
destination? Keep your life savings intact for the wedding or reserve a
room at an ultra-romantic hotel to win her love?

Don't fret:
We're here to help. We've compiled a list of enchanting and memorable
(but not cliché) places that are sure to win over your soon-to-be
spouse. Just don't forget the ring!

If
your beloved is a thrill-seeker, what better way to profess your love
than taking a leap of faith and bungee jumping off of Kawarau Bridge in
Queenstown, New Zealand? Or if your counterpart's adventurous and
looking to reach new heights, venture to the Skyline Gondola and admire
breathtaking vantage points from Bob's Peak before getting your
adrenaline pumping with a 2,624-foot luge ride back to ground level.
Once you've caught your breath, steal away to Onsen Hot Pools to soothe
your aching muscles or retreat to Chard Farm Winery to savor bold
Pinots, Rieslings, and Chardonnays. You'll be able to check many an item
off your (and your love's) bucket list, and you're sure to earn a nod
of approval for your creative proposal location.

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Bora-Bora
seduces couples with visions of overwater bungalows above a turquoise
lagoon, coralreefs, and (at the St. Regis) a romance concierge (duties
have included spelling “Marry Me” in coconut husks on the beach).

The Tahitian island has certainly captured the hearts of
Travel + Leisure readers, who voted Bora-Bora the No. 1 island for
romance in our annual World’s Best Awards survey. Spin the globe, and
you’re bound to land by one of the top romantic islands. From the
Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, they share the powerful ingredient of
fantasy. There’s nothing like escaping to an island with your loved one
to bring out starry eyes in the most jaded traveler.

Discover the getaway escape that’s right for you two castaways among these top islands for romance.

What
could be more seductive than an overwater bungalow above a turquoise
lagoon? That’s the essence of Bora Bora, a geographically blessed sliver
of French Polynesia. At its heart lies the jagged peak of Mount
Otemanu; on its fringes, tiny motus (islets) and a coral reef with a
swirl of colorful marine life.
Room to Book: Villas 103 to 110 at the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort have private decks with whirlpools and outdoor showers. — Frances Hibbard

Known
for its limestone cliffs and waterfront villas, this four-square-mile
speck in the Tyrrhenian Sea fully embraces the concept of la dolce vita.
(For proof, look to the afternoon crowds stretched out on the rocks and
sipping Prosecco at the glamorous La Fontelina beach club.) A funicular
railway whisks visitors from the main port to the boutique-lined
streets of Capri town; privacy-seekers keep heading upward by foot or
bus to the quieter village of Anacapri. There, stroll through the
gardens of the 19th-century Villa San Michele (villasanmichele.eu) with
only ivy-covered statues for company. —Shivani Vora

If
there were ever a place that could get by on its looks, it would be
Santorini. Whitewashed cave houses framed by bougainvillea and backed by
blue-domed churches spill down the rim of an ancient volcanic crater;
at sunset, the Sea of Crete is bathed in a rosy glow. Yet as compelling
as the scenery may be, Santorini’s true appeal lies in its wealth of
diversions—extraordinary wines, black (or red or white) beaches, and
archaeological sites from the prehistoric era. —Eleni N. Gage

It’s
the oldest of Hawaii’s eight main islands—and arguably the most
dramatic, with scenery that ranges from wind-eroded mountains and
red-walled canyons to primeval rainforest and photo-ready waterfalls.
Don’t miss a six-hour hike with Chuck Blay of Kauai Nature Tours
(teok.com); you’ll learn the myths of every fruit and flower along the
way. —Laurel Delp

Once
a backpacking haven with only the most basic accommodations, this
five-mile-long island now rivals better-known Asian destinations such as
Phuket and Koh Samui, Thailand. A 45-minute flight from Manila brings
you to either Kalibo or Caticlan, where boats connect directly to White
Beach, whose powdery sand may just be the softest in the world. —Ron Gluckman

This
remote Indian Ocean archipelago greets travelers with white-sand
beaches, atolls, and secluded high-end resorts that lure honeymooners
and celebrities. The world’s lowest-lying nation has a close union with
the sea: where else would you find a hotel with a coral nursery and an
underwater nightclub? That would be Niyama Maldives, a Per Aquum Resort
(peraquum.com). It has a restaurant reachable by boat only.

Peel
back the tropical-paradise façade of this Hawaiian island to reveal a
rich variety of landscapes: the otherworldly summit of the volcanic
crater Haleakala; the sugarcane fields and farms like O’o Farm; and the
1900s cowboy town of Makawao, with horses trotting down the back roads.
For the ultimate tucked-away-ness, the eastern town of Hana at the edge
of a rainforest is like falling back in time—and after a day out
exploring, you two can retreat to luxe Travaasa Hana Maui, a special
place that emphasizes the culture and tradition of Hawaii, from the
indigenous patterns used in textiles to ukulele and hula lessons.

The
less-visited sister island of Bora-Bora offers an intoxicating blend of
rugged jungle interior, blue lagoons, and scents of tiare,
pamplemousse, and vanilla that swirl in the air. It’s believed that
author James Michener’s Bali Hai in Tales of the South Pacific was
inspired by the island. To get the lay of the land, drive up Magic
Mountain, and you’ll see Opunohu and Cook’s bays sparkle below. The
Tahitians are typically friendly and open—and can point you to the wild,
coconut-strewn beach where Mutiny on the Bounty was filmed.

The
secret is definitely out about Vieques, which promises the key
ingredients for romance, among them, a slew of pristine coves and
beaches and a languid pace. Portions of the island are designated a
National Wildlife refuge—protecting sea turtles, lagoons, and
mangroves—and the island’s famous bioluminescent bay is filled with
microscopic organisms that flash bright blue and illuminate the water.
The eco mind-set here carries through at the intimate Hix Island House,
which opened its solar-powered six-room Casa Solaris in the past year,
built by Canadian-born architect John Hix.

Bali’s
been at the apex of the romance circuit for decades, if not centuries,
with couples drawn to the mist-shrouded temples, mountainous landscapes,
Balinese art, and world-famous friendliness of the locals. The island
got a recent boost (as if it needed it) from the success of Eat, Pray,
Love, whose film crew chose the white-sand Padang-Padang beach as
backdrop. Just a short drive away from here is the new Le Méridien Bali
Jimbaran, with a saltwater lagoon pool.

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A
mesmerizing view helps, as do tables set well apart from each other. If
you require a little more seclusion, it’s tough to beat Little Palm
Island Resort, off Florida’s Key West. A seaplane or boat ride is the only way to reach this tropical oasis, where you can dine at a candlelit table on the beach.

We
think it’s pretty simple: a great romantic restaurant, such as the ones
here, should make you feel the way a great romantic partner
does—special, and like you’re the only person in the room.

Vanilla
poached lobster and dessert tasting menus pair nicely with sunset views
at this 72-year-old landmark restaurant. But the hottest tables are for
chocolate brioche French toast at “high tide breakfasts,” from 7 to 10
on weekday mornings, when the rollicking waves set the mood.

If
you’re always drawn to the next hot new thing, may we introduce this
West Village number? Sotto 13 has the signs of a trendy Manhattan
restaurant—inventive small plates meant for sharing, gourmet pizzas,
mixologist-designed cocktails—in an alluring space. A roaring wood-fired
pizza oven is the centerpiece of the rustic dining room, outfitted with
bare wood beams, wrought-iron caging, and a skylight that reveals a
weeping willow.

Romantic sunset dinners over the water aren’t reserved exclusively for California and Hawaii.
Designed to resemble the luxury liners that once sailed Lake Erie, this
one-of-a-kind establishment perches on a lakeside cliff with sweeping
views that extend to the downtown skyline, sparkling in the distance.
Secure a window table and dive into cedar-planked organic salmon roasted
in a hearth oven and warm chocolate truffle cake speckled with cocoa
nibs and coffee caramel.

If you think "Maine"
and "winter" can't be synonymous with romance, you haven't dined at
this restaurant ensconced in two restored 1820s-era barns, complete with
candles and fine white linen and silver. (The staff has witnessed
countless marriage proposals.) Evergreen trees are visible through the
floor-to-ceiling windows, and the seasonal four-course tasting menu
emphasizes local game and produce in dishes like pan-seared quail breast
with hedgehog mushrooms.

Descending
into Zambra—carved into a subterranean space below a bookstore—feels
like entering into a colorful, secret world. Designed by a local artist,
the low-lit retreat is accented with Moorish arches, wooden columns,
and booths lined with throw pillows. An eclectic tapas menu combines
influences from Spanish, Portuguese, North African, and Gypsy cuisines
with farm-to-table Carolina ingredients and an excellent wine selection.
Call ahead to find out if your night will include a live jazz trio or
belly dancers.

Start
with the restaurant’s signature coconut mai tai as you settle in to a
“sunset table” on the outdoor lanai overlooking Kauai’s Poipu Beach.
Watch whales playing in the surf, or simply focus on the flavorful
Pacific Rim cuisine in front of you—lemongrass and kaffir lime crusted
sea scallops, fresh ceviche served in a coconut shell, and the molten
chocolate “desire,” a decadent flourless chocolate mocha tart.

Calling
a Thomas Keller restaurant “romantic” is kind of like calling an Apple
product “well designed.” Yet the combination of a Napa setting, three
Michelin stars, and careful-to-a-fault service makes The French Laundry
impossible to ignore. The real world practically disappears as you pass
through the vine-covered entrance to this sanctuary of inventive,
French-inflected American cuisine.

Glassmaker Simon Pearce’s restaurant, housed in a restored mill overlooking the falls of Vermont’s
Ottauquechee River and its covered bridge, is a food destination worth
its out-of-the-way address. The exposed-brick and blond wood terrace
dining room—hanging over the falls—is open and airy in the summer and
fully glass-encased during winter. Ask for “table #5,” an intimate
two-seat table set directly over the rushing river.

As
cheesy as a replica Eiffel Tower might seem—especially in Sin City—this
is no Vegas buffet. Ride the glass elevator to the 11th floor, high
above the buzzing Strip, where you can watch the Bellagio’s
water-fountain light show from floor-to-ceiling windows. Choose from an
extensive French menu—from blue cheese soufflé to herbed crêpes and
creamy foie gras—all paired with the restaurant’s wide variety of wines.